Dark Days
by Insert-Dreams
Summary: Set after Season 8, Dean and Castiel reunite only to have the evening fall to ruin after Castiel is kidnapped. Dean now must go save Castiel with the help of Sam. Crowley is locked up in the dungeon. Dean feels as though there is a weird connection with him and the ex-angel. He hasn't come to terms to it and he really doesn't want to hurt Castiel any more than he already has.
1. Playing With Fire

"WHY CAN'T I GET THIS RIGHT!" Castiel roared slamming his fist into his own reflection in a mirror. He was in a cheap motel. The last of the funds he had kept from his time as an angel. His grace was gone. His balled up fists started bleeding. He forgot, humans bleed more than angels. "Why didn't I see what was happening? Why didn't I know?" He glared hatefully at his human form. The vessel that was once in him was gone. He'd lost Jimmy Novak somehow. Metatron took so much from him.

Dean would never forgive him now. No way in hell. Just like Sam, Castiel had started something that could possibly mean the end of the human race. The leviathans were still roaming the earth, Demons were already on earth and now the Angels were trapped on Earth.

He had the feeling the days ahead would be the start of World War 3. He didn't know where Sam and Dean were now. He turned from the mirror and walked back into the motel room. A yawn reached his lips. Against his wishes he was tired. This body was tired. He hoped the motel would still be there when he woke up.

* * *

Dean needed time on his own. He released what was left of Crowley and took Sam to the hospital. Sam suffered from internal bleeding and some other things that Dean just didn't want to deal with right now. Sam was on the mend and he would survive. Angels were walking the earth. He wasn't really sure what the hell was going to happen now. He wondered if the angels and demons were going to have their own war with each other. How many innocent lives would be caught in that crossfire?

'Damn it Cas.' He thought internally. Part of this was his fault and he knew it. Castiel had come to him for help and he just pushed the angel away. Instead of helping, Dean shoved Castiel away. If he'd taken responsibility maybe they all wouldn't be in this mess. After all the words he shared with Castiel, he really did care that Castiel was broken. He figured there was a non-human way of dealing with all everything.

For god's sake, he slept with that silly brown coat each night while it was in his procession. Castiel was the one friend in the world that Dean just couldn't live without, okay maybe he felt like more than a friend, that discussion would be saved for another day. It took all he could muster not to drink his feelings away.

He barely noticed walking out of the hospital and into his car. He started his car and drove toward the motel, knowing that he was sure to get alone time there. The only thing he had were his thoughts. Sam was on so many painkillers that he wasn't making an sense. His go to person, Bobby, was dead. Kevin would not be of use in this situation.

He parked in the parking lot and started walking toward his room. He ran a hand over his face and through his hair. He pulled out the key from his jacket and opened the door closing and locking it behind him. His life was so screwed up.

He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He popped it open and took a long swig. He felt the drink start to take its effect of soothing his soul. How his soul needed to be soothed. He went over to the bed and took a seat staring at the wall across from him he drank. Yearning for companionship, his mind drifted from Castiel to reading another Play Boy magazine.

None of them would fill the gap from the guilt he felt. This time it was his fault the world went to hell. If he had said one word to Castiel perhaps this whole incident would have been averted. No, because Dean couldn't deal with his feelings about Castiel, he found it better to shut Castiel down and not get close to him.

After all, everyone who got close to Dean died eventually. He wondered where Castiel was now. He had no idea if the angel even survived. Though Castiel had a way of coming back, like a dog returning to its owner. Hadn't Castiel done everything Dean had ever asked? He finished the last swig of the bottle and dropped it on the bed and leaning his head into his hands.

His eyes had started to water. "Pull it together, you still got Sammy, Dean." He said to himself willing himself not to cry over that angel. "Maybe just a little rest." He put the empty beer bottle on the night stand and laid back on the bed after flicking the lamp off. His eyes closed and he drifted to sleep.

* * *

Dean's eyes opened everything seemed to bright. It took him a moment to register exactly where I was. Deep blue eyes were starting back at him. Those eyes they reminded him of someone.

"CAS! WHAT THE HELL!" Dean shouted backing away from him. The ex-angel was sitting on the side of the bed, glancing sadly down at Dean. The door seemed to have been ripped open.

"Dean." He nodded. "You were screaming in here. I thought something was attacking. Then I found you."

"You're alive?" Dean blinked staring in disbelief for a second. "Of course you are." He huffed.

"If you're fine then I'll just go." He grinned then rose from the bed. After looking at Dean, Castiel realized that he was just a man. He was nothing special anymore. He wasn't an angel of the lord. He couldn't complete the basic human tasks. He feared that without his grace, Dean would finally see how useless he was, how broken he was, and most of all he wouldn't care. Castiel was nothing now, just a man with a broken heart.

"Cas, wait." Dean spoke earnestly, he really didn't want to sit alone. With Sam in the hospital all Dean had was Castiel. He wasn't going to let him walk out the door again. "I didn't mean it like that."

"What did you mean then, Dean?" Castiel turned to look at him. Their gaze met for a moment, nervously Dean glanced away. Castiel's wide eyed stare was far too much for him.

"I'm sorry. I shoulda been there for ya, Cas. I knew you were broken. You even came to me for help and I pushed you away. We were family once and I would have died for you." Dean's eyes met Castiel's eyes once again. Castiel frowned slightly and then walked over and shut the door. He took a small breath.

"Dean, it's not your fault. You tried to stop me before. I was stupid. I killed so many. You were right. It was my fault. I needed to find a way to clean up my mess." He slowly turned around his eyes watering a little. "Everything I did, I did all for you. I disappointed you, I disappointed myself. I'm afraid of myself."

"Cas, I used to think that everyone I got close to left me." Dean grumbled walking over to the fridge and grabbing to beers, popping them both open and handing one over to Castiel. "You keep coming back. I was serious when I said never change." He roughly pated Castiel on the back and went over to the bed and sat down. He took a small swig of beer.

Dean licked his lips cleaning them off then taking another swig of beer. Castiel turned around hiding the blush on his face taking the full beer and chugging it all at once. Sputtering he came out of it coughing and bending over feeling winded.

"Whoa Cas! Slow it down!" He rushed over to Castiel's side. "You're not an angel anymore are you?" Castiel shook his head the best he could. "That means your human. You have to take things slow. You can't handle things like you could before." He pat Castiel on the back trying to help him get air back in his lungs.

Castiel was finally able to breathe again. He stood up and dusted himself off handing Dean the empty beer bottle. He walked over to the window and stared out it. He wasn't used to this. Last time this happened they were in a fight against Lucifer and Micheal. It seemed too much easier back then. Now it was too different. This form it felt horrible. There was an itch that he couldn't scratch. He sighed and walked from the window turning back to Dean.

Dean was chuckling at the ex-angel. Taking another swig of his beer again, he stared right back at the other man. "You'll get the hang of it."

Castiel stared at the him. Could Dean read his mind? Was it that obvious how he was feeling? Castiel didn't feel like it was. He walked over to the bed and took a seat. Dean came over and joined him.

"It's been a long time since we drunk together. Remember that one time at the whore house?" He chuckled. Castiel mumbled something incoherently then turned a darker shade of red and looked the other way attempting to look pensive. Dean bumped his fist into Castiel's shoulder jokingly.

A man with jet black shoulder length jet black hair touched down on the top of the roof. In his eyes were small flames. He brushed off his shoulders and looked darkly down at the town. He clicked his fingers a hole underneath him exploded sending bits and pieces all over the place. He landed right in front of the drinking duo.

"All this trouble over a love sick angel." He frowned, brushing bits of the building. Dean and Castiel rose from the bed. Dean pulled out his sword and was about to launch himself at the man. Castiel grabbed his arm and held him back.

"Dean, wait!" Castiel insisted as he stared at the fire breather. " Isaac."

"Castiel. You know I was shocked to learn it was you. " He gestured to the sky. "Not only did commit homicide, I hear you got all of us kicked out of heaven as well." A fire ball appeared in his hands. "Thanks a lot for that." He launched it at the two. Dean and Castiel barely managed to dodge it in time. The bed burst into flames. Fire alarms were rining throughout the motel. Dean charged at the Isaac with his knife. Isaac grabbed his arm.

"Dean, Dean, Dean. Tsk tsk." His grin widened as his hand burned into Dean's flesh. Dean was screaming in pain. Castiel ripped Dean from Isaac's grasp. "Oh you're not fun." He chuckled. He grabbed Castiel by the rim of his coat. "There's a price on your sweet little head. I'll be taking you alive." Fire around the two exploded.

"Cas!" Dean tried to reach out for Castiel.

"DEAN!" Castiel called back. "He's a-." He was unable to finish as fire covered the two and they both vanished into thin air.


	2. The Ruler and the Killer

Dean's heart throbbed painfully. His nails were digging into his fists tightly clenched. His face twisted into resounding horror. The room around him was burning. His jacket was charred and his jacket was seared where the creature had touched it showing the burning blistered skin. He still smelt of burning flesh. The sounds of sirens off in the distance were going through one ear and out the other. There was a familiar burning sensation in his gut.

'Everyone always leaves you.' Passed through Dean's head sending a shiver down his spine.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Dean snapped back to reality kicking over a burning chair. His mind snapped into action his flight or fight response returning. He grabbed his gear and slammed them into a bag as fast as he could A good deal of his personal items were trapped into the bathroom. He didn't have time to care about them. His mind grew hazy, his throat was starting to burn. Fire fighters had begun kicking down the door. They broke in and he waved a hand at them.

"Hello." He coughed out. The fire fighters walked over to help him out. They lead him out of a burning building. They sat him in the back of an ambulance. Draped over him was a blanket and an oxygen mask was on his face. The dizzy feeling started to go away.

"Sir, are you okay?" A man asked.

Dean's mind was elsewhere. He wasn't following. He wasn't even sure he hand an answer to that question. Things never turned out okay for him. He'd completely abandoned Castiel to lies. Instead of helping He didn't realize he'd left Castiel to will of Metatron and his lies about the Angel Tablet. It was bullshit. The only other person he'd considered family besides Sam and he let him down. He removed the oxygen mask for a moment.

"I'm fine." He grumbled and then rose from the ambulance leaving the blanket and the oxygen mask behind.

There was only one thought on his mind. Sam. He needed to get to his brother. The only way he was going to find Castiel and save him would be his brother. His brother might have some ideas about what those creatures were. At least after he was off the pain meds. He had some hope.

"Sir, please sit down." The attendant directed. "I don't think you've recovered yet." Dean shrugged and walked off towards his Impala. Waving a hand toward bye to them, he opened the door and hopped in the driver seat. The attendant chased after Dean. Dean reeved the engine High Way to Hell playing loudly, he backed out of the parking place and turned his car onto the main road and starting flying back to the hospital at top speed.

* * *

"Well, well, well, little Castiel." Isaac smiled roughly grabbing Castiel's hair and slamming him into a wall. "You went and fell in love with a human. Even that is enough to be on the no fly list." He smashed Castiel's face into the brick wall. "Then you went and killed our brothers and sisters." He heaved Castiel across the room onto the floor. Castiel laid on the floor trying to recover from the last few moments. He now understood how Dean felt when he usually zapped them places.

Castiel took note that they were in a white elegant room. He'd seen this room a few times. One of his best memories was when Dean was trapped here. Castiel rebelled for him to save his brother. His mind wondered how they had come to this room. It had been destroyed by Micheal when he took over Adam.

"Now you exiled all of use to earth." He walked over to Castiel slowly. "You're even a pathetic human yourself. Did you know why you were the last part of the spell?" He leaned over Castiel. A ripple of fear grew inside Castiel as Isaac's fingers ran across his jaw. "The answer is the grace of an angel who is in love with a human." His finger tips flickered with flames and Castiel leaned his head back. "The things that I want to do to you, Castiel. Now that you are so pitifully human." He hissed aiming a kick to Castiel's ribs. Castiel recoiled in pain rising from the ground aiming a punch to his attacker. Isaac caught Castiel's fist and a fire erupted over both their hands. Castiel screamed in agony and flame was gone as fast as it was there. Castiel shrunk back holding his burnt hand. The smell of burnt flesh spread through the room. His hand was a charcoal mess. Castiel felt his eyes watering.

Isaac stepped on Castiel's chest, right on the same spot bruising it even more. Castiel groaned but Isaac held him in place. He took a chain from the wall and locked Castiel's wrist into it.

"I have some errands to run. Don't go anywhere not that you can." He chuckled darkly, once again vanishing into smoke.

* * *

Dean took off his jacket and tossed it in the back seat. He went into the trunk and pulled out another jacket throwing it on. Next he turned face to the hospital. His mind going over everything that had happened in the past few hours, he took a breath and then glanced at the trunk. He walked over and opened it slightly.

The king of hell was still nicely gagged and wrapped in there. His face was covered, his mouth was gagged underneath. Earmuffs were keeping sounds from reaching his ears. His hands were in handcuffs behind his back. There were no snarky, sassy, remarks that the king of hell could make. They made sure he'd have no idea what was going on while they transported him. He grinned. That's one win he they still had. He shut and locked the trunk once again and turned face to the hospital. He checked his watch. It was about time his brother got plucked out of the hospital.

He entered the hospital. He reached the reception desk; he was told that visiting hours were over. He flashed his FBI badge. They let him through. He walked toward Sam's room. His mind shuffling through all the shit they had to deal with. Castiel was not at the top of the list a few hours ago. Now he'd shuffled up there.

Dean reached Sam's room. Sam was already conscious and putting on his shoes.

"I was wondering when you were going to get here." The younger brother grinned. He looked like his normal self once again. "The doctors were going to release me in the morning. I'm all good now."

"Sammy, we need to take care of the king of assholes and go after Cas." Dean was glad his brother was alright. He patted him on the back. "Come on, let's go."

"Cas is alive?" Sam's expression turned serious as he rose from the bed.

"Yes, Cas is alive and some jackass attacked us and took off with him. Let's go." Dean spoke in a rushed tone walking over to the open door and started to head out into the hall way. Dean had a feeling that Castiel as a human wasn't taken for a simple chat. If anything the angels would be blaming Castiel for the shit that went wrong when the angels fell from heaven. His heart ached for that angel. He'd seen what it was like for Sam when he took the responsibility of letting Lucifer out of his cage.

The jumped into the car and took off toward the secret bunker.

* * *

A few hours later Dean and Sam arrived at the bunker. Dean pushed open the door as an arrow flew and hit the guard rail on the stairs. He stared at the arrow astonished for a few moments. Motioning his mouth open and closed trying to come up with a sentence to say.

"What the hell?" He took a closer glance at the arrow.

"Dean? You're alive." Kevin called coming out from under the table.

"Yeah cuz you're a crappy shot, Katniss." He yanked the arrow from the guard rail. He shook his head, heading down the stairs to talk to Kevin.

"It's been a bad couple days, I haven't slept or eaten- " Kevin's tone lowered to a near whisper. "I'm pretty backed up."

Dean reached Kevin shaking his head. "You over share."

"After we talked this place went nuts. I mean there was some alarm and some machines freaking out, I mean , and uh, then, then the bunker locked down, and I couldn't open the door and I thought the world outside the bunker was ending. " Kevin stammered through what had happened to him over the past few days. His shirt was sweaty. He looked like he'd been hiding under that table in the dark for a few days.

"Close, the angels have fallen." Dean explained frowning.

"What does that mean?" Kevin asked shaking his head in confusion.

"Nothing good." Dean shook his head looking down at his feet. 'Specially not for Cas.' He thought to himself. He'd preferred to keep their prophet out of the Cas and angel situation for now. He plucked the empty bow from Kevin's hands and gave him a stern look in the eye.

"Listen, next time that the world is ending, grab a gun." He tossed the bow aside on the table next to him. Kevin stood facing a bow for a moment. Dean walked behind Kevin toward another room and flipped his phone on and open. He had a signal. If the bunker had done anything strange Dean wasn't seeing it working like that right now.

Kevin walked over and flipped on the power switch. Everything seemed normal.

"Maybe when you opened the door from the outside you reset the system." Kevin suggested, thinking that was the most logical answer and hoping that Dean wouldn't think he was going off the reservation.

"Yeah, okay, let's go with that." Dean responded sarcastically flipping through his messages for a moment. Dean glanced to the around for a second when he heard the sound of the bunker door opening.

Sam entered the bunker with the gagged king of hell, pushing him forward.

"Hey, are we?" Sam asked as if referring to a previous conversation Dean and Sam had. They purposefully left Kevin out of the plan. Kevin and Crowley don't really get along nor does Crowley play nice.

"Let's suit up. Com'on." Dean turned to walk down a hallway, heading toward the infamous room 7B he left Kevin where he was standing. Sam shoved Crowley down the stairs they passed by Kevin who mumbled something incoherently silently panicking.

Sam nodded encouragingly to him and followed Dean down the hallway.

Crowley was chained up in the chair. Everything but the duct tape they used to gag Crowley from the car ride was gone. Dean reached over and ripped it from his face.

"Ugh." Crowley complained then turned up to glance at Dean and Sam. "Hello-" starting his familiar greeting of '_hello boys'_.

Dean punched him right in the face. It felt good to get some his anger out, he really needed to keep it under control however. "Don't start doing that." Dean tossed the duct tape aside.

"Homey, where'd you get this fantastic place, guys?" Crowley asked looking around the hidden dungeon. Sam reached into his pocket and produced a pencil and paper.

"Here's how it's going to go. You're going to give us the name of every demon on earth and the people they are possessing." Sam clarified to Crowley using his pencil to trace the lines on the paper, as if the demonstrate writing a list.

Crowley frowned. "Am I? " He shook his head. "It doesn't sound like me."

"I saw you go down, Crowley." Sam leaned forward a little in confidence. "When I was trying cure you, a part of you was human, and as far as I know a part of you still is. I also know—"

"Blah blah blah, boo-ho, done?" Crowley retorted raising his eyebrows looking from Dean to Sam. "Cuz this is what I know, I'm not giving you anything. Why would I? You got no leverage. " Dean and Sam looked at each other as if in on a plan. "You're not going to close the gates of hell because you didn't. You're not going to kill me because you haven't, so what's left?" He turned to look Dean straight in the eye.

"We have a few ideas." Dean nodded.

"Torture? Really?" He turned to look directly at Sam. "I can't wait to see Sam in Stilettos and a leather bustier. Turn th to S&M. You understand that I do that to myself, just for kicks every Friday night." Crowley sassed back, looking from Dean to Sam's face. They both seemed quite off put by the image that Crowley put into their heads.

"No." Sam responded staring at Crowley. They made eye contact. " We are just going to leave you alone. Until you are ready to give us what we want."

"Fetching plan, really?" Crowley asked astonished, his mouth almost hanging open.

"Stuck in solitary with no one to talk to, we figure that's pretty much your own personal hell." Sam continued. Crowley glared at Sam and then at Dean. Where they serious?

The brother's looked at each other and grinned. They walked toward the closing of the dungeon and right before it shut Dean called out to Crowley.

"Have fun."

The both walked away leaving Crowley in the silence. Crowley looked around the old dungeon. He couldn't think of anything to say and just stared into the dark that was around him. There as only one light in the room and it was shining on his head.

Dean and Sam walked into the sitting room. Kevin came to greet them.

"How'd it go?" He asked hoping that Crowley was dead or at best hurting miserably.

"If you hear anything from room 7B ignore it and don't go in." Dean instructed, uncapping a beer. "Anyway, we have more important issues to talk about. Cass." He walked over to the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack. He took his jacket off and put ice on the serious burn hissing though his teeth.

"Dean! What the hell happened?" Sam walked over to examine the injury. "Something burned you good."

"Yeah sure was something. I was sleeping alright. I had a frig'n nightmare. Apparently I was shouting or something and then Cas stormed in thinking that I was being attacked by something. He was in the room next door apparently. Some asswhipe showed up with some serious fire mojo, he took Cass away. I think they blame Cass for the Angels falling." Dean grimaced. "I might be hurting a little but I am sure of a hell of a lot better than Cass is right now. I should add that his wings are clipped, he's a human now."

Kevin and Sam looked at each other for a moment.

"Do you have any idea what attacked you both?" Sam asked turning to Dean and then walking over to the kitchen to grab the first aid kit thinking it might be useful for the burns.

"No, but the asshat could throw fire. Holy frick'n hell that motel probably won't let me near it again." Dean took a deep breath.

"Fire, as in fireballs?" Kevin cringed.

"No, cotton candy. Yes actual frick'n fireballs." Dean glared at the young prophet.

"Give me the exact run down, so I can do some research on it then we can get your Cass back." Sam brought forward the first aid kit.

"My Cass?" Dean raised his eye brows.

"Your angel, your responsibility." Sam started applying things to Dean's burn. Dean hissed at the stings he was receiving spray that Sam was using.

"Fine whatever." Dean remarked, though internally it felt like there were butterflies in his stomach. He pushed it out of his mind. He didn't need a chick flick kind of life. He sighed and started explain to Kevin and Sam everything he remembered from the incident.

Castiel was a bloodied mess on the floor of the white room. He wasn't sure how he was still alive. So much of him was aching and broken. Isaac had his boot on Castiel's head. "It's so easy to crush you in this form. Pathetic human Ass-tiel. Ruining heaven and gods plans." That was when Castiel heard another pair of boots in the room.

Castiel tried to steal a glance of the other person in the room.

"Good night, Castiel." Isaac punched him in the face knocking the ex-angel out cold.


	3. Detour

His eyes burst open, his heart racing, and his arm reached out ready to attack whoever was around. There was no one. He was alone in an elegant hotel room. He slowly rose from the bed pensive. He wasn't sure exactly how he got here or why he was no longer in the host of _**them**_.

He leapt walked toward the door. His hand closed around the door knob trying to wrench it open. It was locked, he looked into the crack in the door and noted it was locked on the outside, meaning that he was locked in. Trapped. Healed but trapped. His heart was hoping that Dean was alright. Hopefully, they left him alone and out of this. He's spent so much time trying to stay away from Dean so that he didn't get involved in a way that would cause him injury. He was very careful about this in purgatory.

Dean had so much faith and relied on him. He didn't want to leave without him. Castiel had done so much wrong in his life that he never felt like he was never going to do anything right. That he'd done so much screwed up things in his life that none of it could be fixed. He let Dean escape without him, out of love. He loved Dean enough to not want him to have to put up with him and his mistakes. He didn't want to burden Dean with his crap when he already had to deal with Sam.

It was a mistake. Naomi plucked him from his isolation and fucked up his head. He spent a few days killing copies of Dean in almost every situation. His hands were covered in Dean's blood. In the end, he never wanted Dean to die. His mind knew how to kill Dean but his heart never followed in with the real plan. His heart woke up when he finally saw Dean in reality. He felt like the human life was too precious. Then when he touched the tablet it's like his heart could see light. His mind eased and he could smell Dean again. He could truly feel. He needed to protect him and the tablet so he vanished. There was a saying, 'better safe than sorry'.

He shook his head trying to get back to the task at hand breaking out of this place. He walked over to a window and tried to pull it open but it didn't budge. He gave it a good punch or two but it got him nowhere. He walked over to one of the chairs and smashed it into the window, the chair broke to pieces and the window was just fine.

"Damn it!" He shouted kicking the wall with is foot. He was trapped there magically. There was no way out. Having no idea where he was he shrunk down to the floor momentarily. He was a useless human being. He had no magic powers. He was just pathetic. There was nothing that he possessed that could ever help him. That was until he felt a familiar object in his pocket. A small black object and a simple way of communication that he'd forgotten he had. Maybe he had some luck after all. The battery was almost dead; it had been so long since it had been charged. He's surprised that it's survived so far. Then again he'd been charging it with his angelic powers. By estimation it'd only been a day and a half since he'd lost them. He typed a quick message and smacked the send button. He watched the phone display as the message slowly but surely sent. The moment the sent screen went off the phone died. He hoped it reached Dean's phone. It was surely his last chance at survival.

Dean sipped a mug of coffee. He was pouring over old books and maps. They were sprawled all over his bedroom in the bunker. Sam was hitting up Garth and Charlie on the phone in the other room for answers. Kevin was busy reading deciphering the Angel tablet. The faster they knew how to return the balance of the universe the better. He wasn't very sure of the details of what happened to Castiel. He did feel something different though. He had this strange feeling that Castiel wasn't the perky Angel he used to be. It was more like Castiel was somehow ordinary.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do with Castiel when he found him. He couldn't sleep. The moment he closed his eyes he'd imagine how Castiel was being tortured and screaming in agony. He slammed a book shut and rose from the table just as Sam reentered the room.

"Isn't that your fifth cup of coffee?" Sam stretched his arms, his eyes watering as he walked closer to the table.

"What are you my mother?" Dean replied. "I have to find Cass." He stated setting down the mug for a moment and glancing through another book. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "There's no damn clues that point to anything in these damn books." He leered over to Jon's journal on the side of him. "Dad didn't even find anything like this ever. A freaking monster that shoots fireball."

"I don't know what to tell you. I haven't seen much either. Kevin is too busy reading the angel tablet to come to our aide right now." Sam reflected. "Didn't you say that Cass seemed to have some idea of the creature he was captured by?"

"Yeah he tried to warn me before the ass-hat shipped him off." Dean glared.

"So maybe it's something, heavenly?" Sam suggested. "Maybe we've been looking in the wrong places?"

"What you want to poke through the bible?" Dean glared at Sam.

"Just a suggestion." He took a seat across from Dean. "I mean what-" He was cut off.

Dean's phones started buzzing. He picked up the phone and looked at it. There was a message. He nearly dropped his phone in disbelief.

"Who is it?" Sam asked watching Dean closely.

"Son of a gun, it's Cass. It's only one word. '_Elemental'_. Looks like he's still go that cell phone." Dean grinned childishly. "We can track his GPS." His mood seemed to have elevated. "You get on looking for these 'elementals' and I'll go find out where Cass is." Dean walked over to the fridge and grabbed a beer. He had the feeling he was going to need something stronger than coffee for the next few hours.

Meanwhile, Crowley sat in the dark staring at the one bit of light in the room. He knew it wouldn't be long before they realized that the King of Hell wasn't calling the shots. Some of his more loyal confidants would come looking for him any day now. His secretary would be following his last command as he expected. He had the feeling that he would be out of here soon enough. The longer the boys were distracted the longer his side had time to plan a strategy to get him back.

Then there was Kevin with the Angel tablet. Hell, they could come collect them both. Crowley was already strategizing what he would do the moment they took him out of this infernal torture chamber. He began humming the tune of 'Highway to Hell'. Time was on his side.


	4. Shatter

-Cas POV-

A Sharp ringing echoes through my ears. The thoughts of my human companions lulls the pain. No, wait, I am also human now. They are rightfully called my friends now. Those two are called Sam and Dean. The creatures before me they are trying to change me. I can feel it. They say things. They want me to hurt them. They want to transform me. I know that they want me to kill Dean. I've been through this already. Naomi tried to do a similar thing. Dean is my only hope. The one thing I can cling to. They can tell that this torture is not working.

Suddenly, they turn the system off. I turn to look at them. A warm trickled falls on the sides of my face with the smell of Iron. I realize that my ears are damaged. One of the creatures, an Angel, places both hands on my ears. I can immediately feel the healing sensation spread throughout my body.

Metatron stares into my eyes. He's my worst enemy and a traitor. He kicked all of the angels out of heaven. Only he's got them all believing that Naomi did it and she took needed my grace to do it. He's got them under their thumb. He told them that I am madly in love with the human Dean, which is why the spell worked. The last element of the spell was to have the grace of an angel that was in love with a human. Others have always told me that it would be my downfall. I did not listen. So they want me to hate Dean and hopefully everything will revert to normal.

I know that is just a lie. Something that he's just telling them. I know in my heart that I could never hate Dean. I am starting to understand emotions. Every time they call Dean a cockroach that doesn't deserve to live, I try to break free. Dean has never been anything like that to me. He's the most righteous person I know.

Metatron grins stepping back, he runs a hand through my hair, I spit in his face. I'm unprepared for the hot burning sensation I receive from his fist slamming into my face. I glare back at him. I dare not show my fear. I have never experienced this sensation, this pain. My heart threatens to burst out of my chest, my arms bound to the chair struggle and find no release. At one time I would have been able to free myself from this chair and defeat Metatron. Now I am useless.

"Oh yes. You are human." Isaac grins from the corner of the room, he walks forward. He reaches out a hand consumed in flame. "You should not hate us. You should hate Dean. Dean is the cause of all this. If you had never met him you would never be here now."

I would never change the things that I have done or the path I have taken. I simply continue to glare, knowing that there is nothing I can do now. Nothing until Dean and Sam get here. I close my eyes as the fire elemental gets closer. I know he's going to start burning my eye brows again. I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing the pain in my eyes this time.

The only thing holding me together is that I don't want to hurt Dean and Dean never intended to hurt me. They are telling lies. They are trying to force lies in my head. I can handle it. Even if I am a useless human now, I can do this for Dean.

-End Cas-


End file.
